Watch What Obama Just Did When A Reporter Dug Up His Past Comment About ISIS

A CNN reporter asked President Obama a pointed question at a press conference in Turkey on Monday suggesting the leader has underestimated ISIS and wondering, “Why can’t we take out these bastards?”

CNN’s Jim Acosta noted in making his query that the president has referred to ISIS as the “jayvee team” and described the movement as being “contained.”

“I just spent the last three questions answering that very question,” Obama replied to Acosta looking clearly agitated. “I don’t know what more you want me to add. I think I’ve described very specifically what our strategy is, and I’ve described why we do not pursue some of the other strategies that have been suggested.”

Obama also said unlike past wars, ISIS is not a “traditional military opponent.” He explained, “We can retake territory, and as long as we leave our troops there, we can hold it. But that does not solve the underlying problem of eliminating the dynamics that are producing the kind of violent extremist groups.”

The president has been attending the Group of 20 developed countries summit, which has been taking place in the seaside community of Antalya in Turkey over the last two days. The focus of the agenda of the meeting quickly changed following the ISIS Paris attacks.

Obama also announced increased intelligence coordination with France to oppose the Islamic State. As reported by Western Journalism, the United States assisted the French air force in identifying and striking ISIS targets in the so-called caliphate’s capital of Raqqa over the weekend.

Advertisement - story continues below

Last Thursday, the president, told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos regarding ISIS, “I don’t think they’re gaining strength,”adding, “What is true, from the start our goal has been first to contain and we have contained them. They have not gained ground in Iraq and in Syria. They’ll come in. They’ll leave. But you don’t see this systemic march by ISIL across the terrain. What we have not yet been able to do is to completely decapitate their command and control structures.”

Obama remains reluctant to put more boots on the ground in Syria or Iraq, the New York Times reports.